St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-22
INTERSTATE COMMISSION.
Further Arguments Heard for and
Against the Fourth Section.

Further Arguments Heard for and
Against the Fourth Section.
WASHINGTON, April 21.-The following
telegram has been received by the interstate
commission:
San Jose, Cal.-The New Almaden is the
largest quicksilver producing mine in the
United States. Its principal works are in
New York, where its product comes into COM
petition with Spanish quicksilver shipped at
low rates of freight from London. The pres
ent transcontinental rates shut US out Of the
New York market entirely, and will have
consequently a disastrous effect on this i'll
dustry. l. B. RANDALL, Manager.
Several kilograms have been received
from the Pacific coast fruit interests, set
ting forth the disasters threatened by the
new tranScOntinental rates. On the other
hand the merchants and manufacturers of
San Francisco have telegrapned asking
THE RIGID ENFORCEMENT
of section /. Charles II. Tweed, of New
York, addressed the commission in behalf
of the prayer of the Southern Pacific rail
road, for suspension of the fourth section
of the law in its behalf. 4. L. BrittOn,
attorney of the Atchison, Topeka & San
ia Fe railroad, read petition setting forth
that the road and its connections were EN-
gagged in transcontinental traffic. In an
it had put in operation new schedules
which, While they increased the through
gates, largely reduced the rates to interme-
date points
THE AVERAGE REDUCTIONS
were from 5 to 30 per cent, according to
ihe class of freight carried. While this
had not resulted in increasing the way
traffic it had entirely destroyed the through
traffic. For two weeks the road had not
received any through west-hound freight,
and only such east-bound as imperatively
required immediate transmission. For il
luStratiOn. the company formerly hauled an
average of 100 cars of Oil, but now con-
tracts were being made for this traffic by
sea, covering the entire coming year. The
prayer of the petition was similar to that
of the Southern Pacific. Gen. W. W. Belk-
nap, representing the st. LouS & San Fran
cisco road, presented a petition setting
forth the circumstances influencing that
company's through traffic, and asked that
the fourth section of the act be suspended.
Nh. Taft presented q communication from
Sutton d Co. S dispatch line. setting forth
that the action OF the transcontinental roads
toward the shipping interest via Cape Horn
has been of the most violent nature. They
had eXerted every effort to annihilate the
Gray, attorney for
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
addressed the commission. He said that in
an examination of the fourth section he had
reached the conclusion that the railroads
could not take it upon themselves to deter
mine what constituted ''similar circum.
stances and conditions" The traffic Off
GERS and the managers of the road had pre-
pared schedules to be submitted in an
honest effort to comply with the law He
filed petition substantially similar in pur-
port to those presented by the Southern
Pacific. Mr.. Gray suspended his remarks
to give j. h. SearleS, Jr., of New York
representing the sugar refineries of the
East. including the st. Louis refinery, an
opportunity to enter protest against the
granting of the San Francisco refineries'
petition. He told the history of the
rise of the Hawaiian sugar trade
TO the point where the importations
from the islands exceeded the ell
tire consumption of the Pacific coast. Then
to make market for this surplus the i'm
porterS entered into combination with the
railroads by means of which they were ell
abled to lay down this foreign commodity.
admitted duty free. at prices which the
Eastern reinerS, who were held to full rates
had been the closing up of the st. Louis re-
fnery, which had cost $780, 900. The
railroads had given rates which were less
than half the charges to intermediate points.
Mr.. Gray. reSumlng, cited various rates
given by the Canadian Pacific in compari-
son with the rates of the American lines
between the same points. The Canadians.
he said, made the rates just far enough be-
Row those OF their competitors to catch the
traffic.
A MANKATo PLANT.
a sufferer writes to the interstate COM
mission from Mankato, Mimi, that for the
last five years the people of that vicinity
have been paying their fares to the con-
ductors, thereby making a gOodly saving.
Suddenly the conductors have experienced
change of heart, and are charging schedule
rates, evidently fearing the effect of the
lew law. He asks the aid of the commits
sion for return to the old system
Several dairymen from Orange coun-
ty,. New York. complain that the rail-
roads charge them as much to haul
their milk fifty miles to the city as they do
the dairymen at Summit, 1876 miles distant,
and they want things arranged differently.
Several milling firms of Atchison. Kan.
complain that since the law went into eff
feet they have been unable to obtain anv
satisfactory settled rates OH the products of
their mills, and consequently they are
obliged to suspend business except for the
immediate neighborhood, and should this
state Of things continue. they say it would
work ruin to their milling interests.
Surely it is not intended they continue,
TO ruin the business interests of our coun-
Try. Can anything be done to bring relief?
If so grant that it may be done soon that
we may know whether we will be able to
Go business or close up"
- The Pacific Roads.